ethics

[ eth-iks ]

/ ˈɛθ ɪks /

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See synonyms for ethics on Thesaurus.com

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb) a system of moral principles: the ethics of a culture.

(used with a plural verb) the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc.: medical ethics; Christian ethics.

(used with a plural verb) moral principles, as of an individual: His ethics forbade betrayal of a confidence.

(used with a singular verb) that branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions.Compare axiological ethics, deontological ethics.

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Origin of ethics

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English ethic + -s³, modeled on Greek tà ēthiká, neuter plural

synonym study for ethics

2. See moral.

Words nearby ethics

ethically, ethical relativism, ethical will, ethicist, ethicize, ethics, ethinamate, ethine, ethinyl estradiol, ethion, ethionamide

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use ethics in a sentence

Will Huntsberry reports that as part of her probation she’ll also be required to take a medical ethics course.
Morning Report: Hotel Workers Want Their Jobs Back|Voice of San Diego|September 8, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Barrios stressed in the new filing that “no conflicts arose” during his period of overlapping employment, but he could have run afoul of the city’s ethics ordinance anyway.
Barrios Was Paid by Union While Working for Council President|Andrew Keatts and Jesse Marx|September 2, 2020|Voice of San Diego
It is yet another potential violation of the city’s ethics rules.
Barrios Was Paid by Union While Working for Council President|Andrew Keatts and Jesse Marx|September 2, 2020|Voice of San Diego
This is, of course, nothing new, but it has highlighted the need for international standards on ethics and reporting mechanisms that are flexible but responsive.
Why South Asia’s COVID-19 Numbers Are So Low (For Now)|Puja Changoiwala|June 23, 2020|Quanta Magazine

Anya’s been thinking a lot about Disney princesses lately because of a writing project she had in school, for ethics class.
Does Hollywood Still Have a Princess Problem? (Ep. 394)|Stephen J. Dubner|October 24, 2019|Freakonomics
Fridays there is ethics and law of war training and instruction.
Pentagon Insider on New Plan to Fight ISIS: ‘Of Course It’s Not Enough’|Nancy A. Youssef|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Tom Rust, a spokesman for the House Ethics Committee, declined to comment to The Daily Beast.
The Felon Who Wouldn’t Leave Congress|Ben Jacobs, David Freedlander|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Still, his conviction will restart a House Ethics Committee investigation into his actions.
The Felon Who Wouldn’t Leave Congress|Ben Jacobs, David Freedlander|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whether or not Hippocrates ever actually said “First, do no harm,” the axiom is central to medical ethics.
Why So Many Surgeons Are Psychos|Russell Saunders|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Arthur Caplan is the director of medical ethics for NYU Langone Medical Center.
U.K. Courts Grant Mother Right to End Her 12-Year-Old Disabled Daughter’s Life|Elizabeth Picciuto|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She was just as honestintentionallyas she could be, but the ethics of business dealing were not quite straight in her mind.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison
The religion of Rome may not have advanced the theology or the ethics of the world, but it made and held together a nation.
The Religion of Ancient Rome|Cyril Bailey
Your religion does not make it—its ethics are too weak, its theories too unsound, its transcendentalism is too thin.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
Impatiently I smother the accusing whisper of my conscience, "By the right of revolutionary ethics."
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
Ethics, in short, may be regarded as composed of unlike halves, which unite centrally to form a whole.
Man And His Ancestor|Charles Morris

British Dictionary definitions for ethics

ethics

/ (ˈɛθɪks) /

noun

(functioning as singular) the philosophical study of the moral value of human conduct and of the rules and principles that ought to govern it; moral philosophySee also meta-ethics

(functioning as plural) a social, religious, or civil code of behaviour considered correct, esp that of a particular group, profession, or individual

(functioning as plural) the moral fitness of a decision, course of action, etche doubted the ethics of their verdict

Derived forms of ethics

ethicist, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for ethics

ethics

[ ĕth′ĭks ]

The rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the conduct of the members of a profession.

Cultural definitions for ethics

ethics

The branch of philosophy that deals with morality. Ethics is concerned with distinguishing between good and evil in the world, between right and wrong human actions, and between virtuous and nonvirtuous characteristics of people.

ethics

Origin of ethics

synonym study for ethics

Words nearby ethics

learn more about ethics

Words related to ethics

How to use ethics in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ethics

Derived forms of ethics

Medical definitions for ethics

Cultural definitions for ethics